Did Apple Music already overtake Spotify in America?

Perhaps because Spotify was already deep into the music streaming business way before Apple Music entered into the competition, the former is enjoying a sizable lead against the former, especially in terms of the total volume of their respective customer bases. But according to a report recently published by Digital Music News just this week, it appears that Apple Music may have already surpassed Spotify in the United States mobile market.

As reported by Digital Music News, both Spotify and Apple Music each can boast over 20 million paying customers in America, but it seems that Apple Music has edged out its rival just slightly, as pointed out by an unidentified music distribution insider. 

This US based major distributor has apparently provided a report to Digital Music News, and this report details the subscriber base sizes of several of the most well known music streaming brands today, including industry leader Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and Sirius XM. This report is said to rank Apple Music as the number one music streaming service provider in America, particularly among those categorized as on-demand. 

This specific report also indicates that Apple’s music streaming brand is registering a more robust rate of growth in the United States compared to the rest of the competition. This means, of course, that in the next few months or quarters, Apple Music’s subscriber base should only get even bigger. The report also notes that consumers who availed of the free trial were not taken into account.

This might not be that surprising. Apple Music, after all, is a product (or service) owned by Apple, one of the most recognizable, most lucrative, and even most reliable global brands out there, which means that its association with the tech giant is virtually a guarantee that it is going to catch some attention among consumers (that is, given enough time). And considering how strong Apple’s presence is in the United States, it made sense for users in America to take a liking to Apple Music.

While it is true that Spotify is not quite ready yet to concede the crown to Apple Music (despite the latest developments), it should be mentioned that it is still widely considered the worldwide leader when it comes to music streaming services. But as suggested by the rate of growth Apple Music is showing right now, Spotify’s market leadership, even in mobile markets outside the United States, might be in jeopardy of being usurped by Apple’s offering.